Ontario is Canada’s second largest province by area and home to North America’s fourth-most populous city, Toronto. With almost four in ten Canadian residents calling the province home, Ontario has long been one of the most popular destinations for migrants from within Canada and abroad looking to secure Canadian permanent residence.
Ontario offers eight distinct immigration streams under its regional version of the Provincial Nominee Program, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).
The eight OINP streams are:
- Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream
- Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream
- Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream
- Masters Graduate Stream
- PhD Graduate Stream
- Express Entry: Human Capital Priorities Stream
- Express Entry: Skilled Trades Stream
- Express Entry: French-Speaking Worker Stream
OINP Employer Job Offer Streams
One of the most popular ways to qualify for permanent residence in Ontario as a foreign worker is to have a job offer from an Ontario employer.
To qualify for the Foreign Worker Stream, you should:
- have a full-time, permanent job offer from an employer in Ontario in a skilled occupation
- the job should pay at least the median wage for that occupation in Ontario
- the occupation must be NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 (a management role or a role requiring a degree, diploma, two-year apprenticeship or six month’s on-the-job training)
- self-employed individuals, including physicians, are not eligible for the Foreign Worker Stream but may be able to qualify for the Human Capital Priorities Stream via the Federal Skilled Worker Program
- intend to live in Ontario if you are granted permanent residence
- meet work experience/licensing requirements by:
- having at least two years’ cumulative work experience relevant to the job you have been offered within the last five years; or
- having any necessary licence, registration or authorization required by law to practice in your field in Ontario
If you meet all the minimum requirements, you can submit an expression of interest to Ontario authorities. Your expression of interest will be scored according to your skills, experience and other information provided and, if it scores highly enough, you will be invited to submit a full application for the OINP.
To qualify for the International Student Stream, you should:
- have a qualifying educational credential from a Canadian institution. This can be:
- an undergraduate degree or diploma gained full-time over at least two years
- a graduate degree or diploma gained full-time over at least one year
- a college graduate certificate gained full-time over at least one year, if the certificate was awarded in Ontario
- a university graduate certificate gained full-time over at least two years, if the certificate was awarded in Ontario
- have a full-time, permanent job offer from an employer in Ontario in a skilled occupation
- the job should not pay below Ontario’s ‘low wage level‘
- the occupation must be NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 (a management role or a role requiring a degree, diploma, two-year apprenticeship or six month’s on-the-job training)
- self-employed individuals, including physicians, are not eligible for the Foreign Worker Stream but may be able to qualify for the Human Capital Priorities Stream via the Federal Skilled Worker Program
- intend to live in Ontario if you are granted permanent residence
- have any necessary licence, registration or authorization required by law to practice in your field in Ontario
- submit your application within two years of receiving your qualifying credentials
- this means a full application, not just an expression of interest
If you meet all the minimum requirements, you can submit an expression of interest to Ontario authorities. Your expression of interest will be scored according to your skills, experience and other information provided and, if it scores highly enough, you will be invited to submit a full application for the OINP.
To qualify for the In-Demand Skills Stream, you should:
- have a full-time, permanent job offer from an employer in Ontario in an in-demand occupation in NOC TEER 4 or 5 (jobs usually not requiring formal education or training above a high school diploma or limited on-the-job training). These jobs may include:
- home support workers
- construction workers
- agricultural labourers
- industrial butchers
- utilities workers
- factory workers
- industrial labourers
- have been offered a salary or wage higher than the median wage for that job in the area of Ontario in which you will be working
- intend to live in Ontario if you are granted permanent residence
- have at least nine months’ cumulative full-time work experience within the last three years
- this work experience must be in Ontario in the same occupation as your job offer
- have any necessary licence, registration or authorization required by law to practice in your field in Ontario
- have at least a Canadian high school diploma or recognised international equivalent
- have passed a language test and scored at least CLB/NCLC Level 4 in English or French reading, writing, speaking and listening comprehension
If you meet all the minimum requirements, you can submit an expression of interest to Ontario authorities. Your expression of interest will be scored according to your skills, experience and other information provided and, if it scores highly enough, you will be invited to submit a full application for the OINP.
OINP Graduate Streams
Individuals with postgraduate or doctoral degrees from a university in Ontario may be eligible to apply for one of two OINP graduate streams.
To qualify for the Masters Graduate Stream, you should:
- have earned a masters degree from an eligible Ontario university following at least one year’s full-time study (or equivalent amount accumulated through part-time study)
- you must submit your application to this stream within two years of completing your masters
- have passed a language test and scored at least CLB/NCLC Level 7 in English or French reading, writing, speaking and listening comprehension
- have lived in Ontario for at least one year in the last two years (cumulatively)
- be able to financially support yourself and any family members accompanying you if you move to Ontario permanently
- intend to live in Ontario permanently if your application is successful
If you meet all the minimum requirements, you can submit an expression of interest to Ontario authorities. Your expression of interest will be scored according to your skills, experience and other information provided and, if it scores highly enough, you will be invited to submit a full application for the OINP.
To qualify for the PhD Graduate Stream, you should:
- have earned a PhD from an eligible Ontario university, with at least two years’ of your studies completed while living in Ontario
- you must submit your application to this stream within two years of completing your PhD
- have lived in Ontario for at least one year in the last two years (cumulatively)
- be able to financially support yourself and any family members accompanying you if you move to Ontario permanently
- intend to live in Ontario permanently if your application is successful
If you meet all the minimum requirements, you can submit an expression of interest to Ontario authorities. Your expression of interest will be scored according to your skills, experience and other information provided and, if it scores highly enough, you will be invited to submit a full application for the OINP.
OINP Express Entry Streams
The streams detailed below use the Canadian federal government’s Express Entry application system. Once you have created an Express Entry profile detailing your skills, qualifications and experience, you will have the opportunity to register your interest in permanent residence in Ontario and any other Canadian provinces and territories which participate in an Express Entry program.
In order to qualify for Ontario’s OINP Express Entry streams, you must also meet the requirements of either the Canadian Experience Class or Federal Skilled Worker Program.
To qualify for the Human Capital Priorities Stream, you should:
- if applying via the Federal Skilled Worker Program:
- have at least one year’s continuous full-time work experience in a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 role, which:
- is in your primary occupation
- has been acquired in the last five years
- was acquired in Canada or abroad
- have at least one year’s continuous full-time work experience in a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 role, which:
- if applying under the Canadian Experience Class:
- have at least one year’s cumulative full-time work experience in a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 role, which:
- was obtained within the last five years
- is in at least one of the occupations referenced in your Express Entry profile
- was acquired in Canada
- have at least one year’s cumulative full-time work experience in a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 role, which:
- hold a degree, postgraduate degree or doctorate
- nurses registered in Ontario may be exempt from this requirement
- have passed a language test demonstrating English or French reading, writing, speaking and comprehension ability to at least CLB/NCLC Level 7
- be able to financially support yourself and any family members accompanying you if you move to Ontario permanently
- intend to live in Ontario permanently if your application is successful
Once you have created your Express Entry profile, your details will be made available to Ontario authorities and you may receive a notification of interest, inviting you to submit a full application for permanent residence in Ontario via the OINP.
To qualify for the Skilled Trades Stream, you should:
- have a minimum of one year’s cumulative, paid work experience in a technical trade
- this experience must have been acquired in the last two years
- it must be in one of the occupations you have used for your Express Entry profile
- it must have been acquired in Ontario
- transportation officers, cooks, butchers and bakers are excluded
- hold any certificate or license required to carry out your trade in Ontario, and have held it for the duration of your qualifying work experience
- have passed a language test demonstrating English or French reading, writing, speaking and comprehension ability to at least CLB/NCLC Level 5
- be able to financially support yourself and any family members accompanying you if you move to Ontario permanently
- intend to live in Ontario permanently if your application is successful
Once you have created your Express Entry profile, your details will be made available to Ontario authorities and you may receive a notification of interest, inviting you to submit a full application for permanent residence in Ontario via the OINP.
To qualify for the French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream, you should:
- have passed language tests demonstrating French reading, writing, speaking and comprehension ability to at least NCLC Level 7, as well as corresponding English language skill of at least CLB Level 6
- if applying via the Federal Skilled Worker Program:
- have at least one year’s continuous full-time work experience in a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 role, which:
- is in your primary occupation
- has been acquired in the last five years
- was acquired in Canada or abroad
- have at least one year’s continuous full-time work experience in a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 role, which:
- if applying under the Canadian Experience Class:
- have at least one year’s cumulative full-time work experience in a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 role, which:
- was obtained within the last three years
- is in at least one of the occupations referenced in your Express Entry profile
- was acquired in Canada
- have at least one year’s cumulative full-time work experience in a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 role, which:
- hold a degree, postgraduate degree or doctorate
- nurses registered in Ontario may be exempt from this requirement
- be able to financially support yourself and any family members accompanying you if you move to Ontario permanently
- intend to live in Ontario permanently if your application is successful
Once you have created your Express Entry profile, your details will be made available to Ontario authorities and you may receive a notification of interest, inviting you to submit a full application for permanent residence in Ontario via the OINP.
Kunal Thakur
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant R#519955
Kunal Thakur is a passionate Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) with close to two decades of immigration experience, during which he has successfully guided thousands of people on their immigration journey. He is quick in responding to client queries and constantly strives to give his clients the best possible advice. Kunal brings immense value to our team with his talks and discourses on immigration. When not in front of his laptop reading and analysing client cases, he enjoys spending his spare time exploring new places and trying new things. Kunal is currently based in Adelaide, Australia. You can book a time with him here.